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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — a contest
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. race — humankind
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bound — tied together
  14. season — of the year
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ground — a position
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bound — certain
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com